Luana Santos, a judo specialist, aims to make UFC history by scoring the first kesa gatame leg americana submission, a move she has successfully used in two of her first three MMA bouts.
Luana Santos is on a mission. She wants to make history in the UFC by scoring the first kesa gatame leg americana submission.
She’s a judo specialist, set to face Stephanie Egger in the preliminary portion of Saturday’s UFC Vegas 83. This comes after she knocked out Juliana Miller in her promotional debut in August. Santos has already won two of her first three MMA bouts with that sequence in the Brazilian regional scene. She’s made it clear she’s going to try the move inside the octagon one day.
“It’s something I always do,” Santos said. Everyone in the gym knows it. When she takes them down with the guard passed, she’s already in position for the kesa gatame. Then she sees the arm there.
She learned that position a couple of days before her first MMA fight. She was running on a treadmill when Helios [Nogues Moyano] of 011 MMA showed her. She loved it right away. She used it in her MMA debut, first round, and then again in the third round of her third fight.
Santos’ flashy finishes flew under the radar in 2021 and 2022. But she thinks that doing it under the bright lights of the UFC could secure her not only a $50,000 bonus, but a Submission Of The Year prize.
“People in the gym always say that I’ll definitely win a bonus if I do that in the UFC,” Santos laughed. She didn’t have the opportunity to do it in her debut, but she’s sure it will happen. She says it’s automatic. You don’t see anyone doing that because doing the judo throw is hard enough.
Her opponent, Egger, is a judo black belt with a record of 3-3 under the UFC banner. The Swiss talent scored all octagon victories by way of submission. She has the experience of competing in major grappling tournaments such as the ADCC, going the distance with grappling legend Gabi Garcia in 2019.
Santos sees grappling and MMA as two completely different things. This is especially because there are no punches allowed in the ADCC or jiu-jitsu. That changes everything. To be able to hit and scare her opponent, you can’t compare jiu-jitsu in MMA to pure jiu-jitsu. The moment a hand lands, the scenario changes completely.
Despite both fighters’ grappling credentials, Santos said she plans on keeping it on the feet this time at the UFC APEX.
“I think she might come looking for a jiu-jitsu fight, it’s her thing,” Santos said. “She doesn’t strike that much, and I’m changing my characteristics. I’m not the same Luana that rushed to hug and take it to the ground. If it’s up to me it won’t be a grappling match right off the bat. I’m training to strike with her. She has many flaws on the feet and I plan on taking advantage of that, but I’m ready for everything.”